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Critics / Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat / Movies
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
  • Official Websites:
    Spirituality and Prac…

FREDERIC AND MARY ANN BRUSSAT

Agrees with the Tomatometer 74% of the time.

Biography: Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat have been discovering spiritual meanings in films for 40 years. We are always on the lookout for movies that "speak to our condition" (a Quaker phrase) and reveal new possibilities for our lives. We love dramas that touch on universal experiences, knock down barriers between people, and evoke our compassion. We are enriched by stories that touch our hearts and send us out of the theater rejoicing. A truly good film is not only thought-provoking and entertaining, it also leaves the viewer with a sense of what it means to live deeply and fully every day. We are the authors of two books, Spiritual Literacy and Spiritual Rx, in which we frequently use movies to illustrate spiritual "takes" on everyday experience. We also regularly prepare "Values & Visions" Discussion Guides for film clubs. You can read about our approach to movies in "Befriending Films" and "Spirituality and Films" in the Spirituality & Film section at our website.
Favorites: We publish an annual list of the "most spiritually literate films of the year" (see "Other" section). Some all-time favorites are: Gandhi, My Life as a Dog, Babette's Feast, Wings of Desire, Forrest Gump, Dead Man Walking, Babe, Enchanted April, Jesus of Montreal, The Last Wave, Grand Canyon, Sunshine State, In America, Brokeback Mountain, American Beauty, Little Miss Sunshine, Water, Lars and the Real Girl, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Visitor, and Slumdog Millionaire.

Publications: Spirituality and Practice

Critics' Group: Online Film Critics Society, New York Film Critics Online

Total Reviews: 4187
Total QuickRatings: 197

Location: New York, New York

MOVIE REVIEWS ONLY

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  • Movies
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  • Worst
  • Quick Ratings
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  • Unquoted
Rating T-Meter Title | Year Add Date (default)

Rotten
1/5

Fresh
82%

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2010)

" A long and drawn-out Swedish crime-drama."

Posted Mar 18, 2010

Rotten
1/5

Rotten
7%

Bounty Hunter (2010)

" A battle of the sexes comedy that is ludicrous and scattered."

Posted Mar 18, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
100%

Vincere (2009)

" A visually sumptuous Italian drama about the shadow side of power-hungry leaders and lovers who tell themselves stories that have no resemblance to reality."

Posted Mar 18, 2010

Fresh
4/5

Rotten
52%

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)

" A snappy, humorous, and creative comedy about an ambitious pre-teen boy whose expends all his energy trying to win the approval of his middle-school peers."

Posted Mar 18, 2010

Fresh
4/5

Fresh
64%

City Island (2010)

" An immensely entertaining film about family secrets and the many roles we play in our private and public lives."

Posted Mar 18, 2010

Fresh
4/5

Fresh
72%

Greenberg (2010)

" An original and endearing romantic comedy about a difficult person who is trying to get unstuck from his bad habits, cynicism, and fear."

Posted Mar 18, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Rotten
27%

Remember Me (2010)

" A romantic drama about the tender bloom of love in a garden of death, grief, and great loss."

Posted Mar 11, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
60%

The Exploding Girl (2010)

" An impressive romantic drama set in New York City about a young woman's sudden plunge into loneliness and what she learns from this sad and melancholy emotion."

Posted Mar 11, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Rotten
53%

Green Zone (2010)

" A slam-bang thriller set in Iraq in 2003 which vividly illustrates that truth is the first casualty of war."

Posted Mar 11, 2010

Fresh
4/5

Fresh
89%

The Secret of Kells (2009)

" A stunningly beautiful animated feature from Ireland centered around The Book of Kells and the fire power of faith wedded to imagination."

Posted Mar 5, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Rotten
52%

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

" An exotic adventure tale about a young woman's trip to an alternate reality and the testing of her will power, resourcefulness, and courage in the face of weirdness and danger."

Posted Mar 4, 2010

Fresh
4/5

Fresh
71%

The Yellow Handkerchief (2010)

" A road movie about three travelers in post-Katrina Louisiana and their quest to avoid a bleak and dark future."

Posted Feb 26, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
82%

The Art of the Steal (2009)

" A riveting documentary that speaks volumes about art, private collections, painting masterpieces, and the power plays of the rich and the elite."

Posted Feb 26, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
78%

Examined Life (2009)

" An unusual and compelling documentary featuring eight thinkers musing on philosophical matters as they walk in creative places."

Posted Feb 25, 2010

Fresh
4/5

Fresh
82%

Lourdes (2010)

" A powerful and poignant drama about Lourdes, miracles, faith, grace, and the mysteries surrounding cures that go beyond reason and explanation."

Posted Feb 20, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
69%

Phyllis and Harold (2010)

" A creative and unsettling documentary that reveals how yearning can be both a burden and a blessing to those caught in its grasp."

Posted Feb 20, 2010

Fresh
4/5

Fresh
82%

Ghost Writer (2010)

" A top-drawer political thriller that is timely, sophisticated, and well-acted."

Posted Feb 19, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Rotten
43%

The Good Guy (2010)

" New York-based love story that illustrates how old-fashioned virtues can still play a significant role in matters of the heart."

Posted Feb 19, 2010

Fresh
4/5

Rotten
48%

Blood Done Sign My Name (2010)

" A sturdy and sensitive drama about the Civil Rights movement in Oxford, North Carolina, in 1970; it rings true and reveals the scourge of American racism in all of its ugly manifestations."

Posted Feb 18, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Rotten
36%

Happy Tears (2010)

" An oddball family drama with idiosyncratic characters and a handful of surreal scenes."

Posted Feb 18, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Rotten
57%

Barefoot to Timbuktu (2010)

" An appealing documentary about a larger-than-life adventurer, artist, entrepreneur, and social activist in a settlement in the middle of the Sahara."

Posted Feb 12, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
88%

October Country (2010)

" A candid and troubling documentary about a working-class family in upstate New York whose lives have been deeply altered by violence."

Posted Feb 12, 2010

Rotten
2/5

Rotten
32%

The Wolfman (2010)

" A well-acted horror story with a sophisticated screenplay that, unfortunately, waters the seeds of violence, prejudice, and speciesism within us."

Posted Feb 11, 2010

Rotten

Rotten
18%

Valentine's Day (2010)

" A dreadful romantic comedy with characters that talk claptrap and trivialize love."

Posted Feb 11, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Rotten
27%

Dear John (2010)

" An engaging romantic love drama that morphs into a deeper and richer consideration of the truly transformative power of love."

Posted Feb 4, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Rotten
56%

The Shock Doctrine (2010)

" The back story to the political and economic landscape of our times and the reasons why the rich are getting richer and the world is in such a mess."

Posted Jan 28, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
95%

Ajami (2010)

" A poignant drama set in the tense multi-ethnic community in Jaffa, Israel, where dreams are regularly shattered by violence, poverty, and religious strife."

Posted Jan 28, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Rotten
40%

For My Father (2010)

" Probes the greatest miracle of all: the difficult process of turning enemies into friends."

Posted Jan 28, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
75%

Act of God (2009)

" An alluring documentary about the shocking power and mystery of lightning in human experience."

Posted Jan 27, 2010

Rotten

Rotten
46%

Creation (2010)

" A portrait of Charles Darwin and all the tensions in his life that just manages to drag us down and wear us out."

Posted Jan 22, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Rotten
28%

Extraordinary Measures (2010)

" An inspiring drama about a man who possesses great perseverance, a spiritual character quality that includes patience, flexibility, and resilience in the face of challenges and constant change."

Posted Jan 22, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
75%

The Girl on the Train (2010)

" A complex and well-acted French film about lying and other deceptions that bring dark clouds and bad weather into the lives of the characters"

Posted Jan 21, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
96%

A Prophet (2010)

" A gritty and tough depiction of a young petty criminal's introduction to the ways of the world while serving a six-year prison sentence."

Posted Jan 18, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
89%

Fish Tank (2010)

" An intense film about the messy coming-of-age misadventures of an angry and unhappy English working-class teenager."

Posted Jan 18, 2010

Rotten
2/5

Rotten
20%

Leap Year (2010)

" It's a shame to see the talented actress Amy Adams floundering around in such a lame and unfunny romantic comedy."

Posted Jan 15, 2010

Rotten
1/5

Rotten
45%

The Book of Eli (2010)

" A post-apocalyptic thriller with Christian Fundamentalist messages."

Posted Jan 15, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
78%

Mine (2010)

" An emotionally affecting documentary about the amazing animal rescue operation after Hurricane Katrina and the desperate quest of dog guardians who return to New Orleans to find their beloved pets"

Posted Jan 15, 2010

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
96%

Sweetgrass (2009)

" An interesting documentary about the last large sheep drive in Montana with cowboys who are not romanticized"

Posted Jan 9, 2010

Fresh
4/5

Rotten
38%

Wonderful World (2010)

" A touching spiritual drama about a cynical man and his auspicious relationship with a wise Senegalese brother and his beautiful sister."

Posted Jan 8, 2010

Fresh
4/5

Fresh
69%

Youth in Revolt (2010)

" An oddball adolescent goes on a wild quest to lose his virginity and to find true love with a seductive and mysterious young woman."

Posted Jan 8, 2010

Rotten
1/5

Rotten
28%

Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (2009)

" A Southern melodrama from an unproduced screenplay by Tennessee Williams that should have stayed unproduced."

Posted Dec 31, 2009

Rotten
1/5

Fresh
69%

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

" Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary bloodhound of justice given a less than awesome makeover."

Posted Dec 24, 2009

Rotten
1/5

Rotten
58%

It's Complicated (2009)

" A romantic comedy in which Meryl Streep, but not the audience, laughs a lot."

Posted Dec 23, 2009

Rotten
1/5

Fresh
66%

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

" A morality tale about the consequences of making deals with the devil that has some visual flare but doesn't really hold together."

Posted Dec 23, 2009

Rotten
2/5

Rotten
37%

Nine (2009)

" Moments of razzle-dazzle delights but somewhat disappointing."

Posted Dec 19, 2009

Rotten
1/5

Rotten
13%

Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009)

" A really dumb romantic comedy with the trendy storyline of someone falling in love with somebody who has been betrayed."

Posted Dec 19, 2009

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
76%

The Young Victoria (2009)

" An elegant costume drama about the early years of Victoria, the longest reigning Queen in English history."

Posted Dec 17, 2009

Fresh
4/5

N/A

NoBody's Perfect (2009)

" An extraordinary German documentary about 12 adults with disabilities created by the toxic drug Thalidomide and how a special project lifts their spirits and gives them a fresh sense of community."

Posted Dec 17, 2009

Fresh
5/5

Fresh
91%

The Messenger (2009)

" An emotionally affecting drama about the birth of compassion in an Iraq war hero assigned to work for the Casualty Notification Office."

Posted Dec 17, 2009

Fresh
3/5

Fresh
92%

Crazy Heart (2009)

" A rambling story of a down-and-out country singer (a fine performance by Jeff Bridges) trying to put his life in turnaround."

Posted Dec 16, 2009
 
 
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